Easy Korean Beef Bowl (Printer-Friendly)

Savory ground beef in spicy gochujang sauce over rice, topped with fresh vegetables and sesame seeds. Ready in 25 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Beef & Sauce

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef
02 - 2 tablespoons gochujang
03 - 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
04 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
05 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
08 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
09 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Rice Base

10 - 4 cups cooked white rice or cauliflower rice

→ Fresh Toppings

11 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
12 - 1 cup carrot, julienned
13 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
14 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
15 - 1 fresh red chili, sliced thin (optional)
16 - Kimchi for serving (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, for 4-5 minutes until browned and cooked through.
02 - Add minced garlic and grated ginger to the beef. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef evenly.
04 - Taste the beef mixture and adjust seasoning as desired. Remove from heat.
05 - Divide cooked rice or cauliflower rice among serving bowls. Top each portion with the Korean beef and sauce mixture.
06 - Top each bowl with sliced cucumber, julienned carrot, green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and optional chili or kimchi. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means weeknight dinner that tastes like you actually tried.
  • The gochujang sauce does all the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so minimal ingredients create maximum impact.
  • You can swap the rice base for cauliflower rice without losing a single bit of deliciousness.
  • It's endlessly customizable—add more heat, swap proteins, load up extra veggies—the framework stays solid.
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the beef properly; it needs those 4 to 5 minutes to develop color and flavor, not just cook through.
  • Gochujang can vary wildly between brands in terms of saltiness and heat, so taste as you go and adjust before serving—you can always add more but you can't take it back.
  • If your sauce looks thin after a few minutes, that's usually fine and actually better than overly reduced; it'll soak into the rice and keep everything moist.
03 -
  • Prep all your vegetables before you start cooking the beef—once that pan is hot, everything moves quickly and you won't want to pause halfway through.
  • If you're making this for a crowd, brown the beef and build the sauce ahead of time, then gently warm it before serving; it actually tastes better when the flavors have had time to settle.
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